About The Art Of Output

Hi, I’m Matt, and I’m the author and founder of the Art of Output.

The Art of Output marries the latest in cutting-edge research on human performance with timeless wisdom drawn from ancient philosophy to help people to eliminate stress and anxiety, find meaning in their work, and unleash their full professional potential.

About me

6 years ago, I graduated with a fancy degree from an elite university, got a job at a top tier tech company, and quickly learned that my formal education had left me completely unprepared for how to survive in a corporate environment.

Because of all the meetings, emails, and random office distractions I now had to deal with – not to mention the actual work, I felt like I was drowning in to-dos, yet not getting anything done. Those around me who seemed to be most “successful” in the corporate environment were overworked stress-cases who never took vacations, never unplugged from their inboxes, and seemed generally miserable.

I thought becoming more “productive” was the answer. If I could fit more impactful work into less time, I’d be able to reclaim work-life balance while still doing well in my career.

A relentless focus on productivity had the opposite effect: it turned me into a miserable stress case. Counterintuitively – the harder I focused on getting more done, the less effective I was at my job.

What I’ve come to learn is that by focusing first on my own psychology, instead of optimizing my to-do list, or adopting new “hacks” to cram more work into less time, I’ve been able to stress less AND get more done.

And through a study and practice of ancient philosophy, I’ve been able to transform how I relate to work, helping me to transform how I approach my work.

The Art of Output is all about building out on that approach, helping ambitious professionals to thrive by eliminating unhealthy stress, supercharging their output, and redefining their relationship with work

What makes the Art of Output different

It’s written for people with “real jobs.” If you look hard enough, you’ll see that most of what’s been written about personal improvement in the “workplace” is primarily targeted toward (and written by) freelancers and entrepreneurs – people who don’t have to deal with office distractions, or a boss, or unrealistic deadlines. Many of the strategies and tactics they recommend, like working on one thing at a time, or delegating work to virtual assistants in India, don’t make sense for people working in an office environment. My goal is to address this gap by sharing strategies for increasing output that are tailored directly to busy professionals who work full-time office jobs.

I practice what I preach. I work a highly demanding job at a startup while running the Art of Output. This gives me ample opportunity to put what I write into practice, to refine the tactics and strategies I develop, and to prove out the value of what I’m sharing with my readers.

My focus is on psychology and philosophy, not clickbaity tactics. My belief is that creating real improvement doesn’t come from random productivity “hacks,” but from mastering our own psychology, and developing an optimal philosophy around how work fits within life. So while others focus on productivity “hacks” and optimize around the edges, I write about how to create deep, lasting change by fundamentally rewiring how to approach work.

Sound good? If you’d like to receive regular updates from me, as well as access to some exclusive guides I’ve written on how to save time while reducing stress in the office, sign up for my free Insiders List.

And if you’d like to get in touch, drop me a line! I love to hear from my readers, and personally read every email.